Fresno Fitness: Certus CrossFit

When people find out that I CrossFit, I normally get two types of reactions:

If the person is a fellow CrossFitter, they immediately want to talk about how amazing the workouts are, how much it kicks their butts, how long I’ve been doing it for, how much they hate overhead squats and what “box” I belong to.

If the person has never done CrossFit before, they want to know if it is dangerous, if I’ve been hurt by lifting too much weight, if the sport is really like a cult and if the goal of the workout is in fact to make you throw up.

I personally don’t mind the kind of questions that I get. Either way I get to talk about something that I am really passionate about 🙂 …so to be completely honest, if this blog sounds a little biased, it probably is, because I FREAKING LOVE CROSSFIT!!!!!!!!!! Even more specifically, I absolutely love MY local CrossFit Gym!!

Why? Certus CrossFit has helped me achieve my personal fitness goals AND, it has introduced me to some awesome people, who have similar goals to mine. So if your personal fitness goal is to run a marathon, you should probably join a running club. If your goal is to work on balance, strength and flexibility you should be looking at doing some yoga. If you enjoy team sports, you can look at joining a soccer or softball league. BUT, if you are like me and would like to work on being an all over well rounded athlete, then you should toooooooootallly look at doing CrossFit! CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program, instead its objective is to optimize physical competency in ten different fitness domains: Cardiovascular/Respiratory Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance and Accuracy. I enjoy it because it has helped me get better in all of these areas and because every day the workout is completely different than any other day before.

The sport of CrossFit has become very popular the past few years because of its ability to get you fit in a very short period of time. It has also received some bad publicly because of people claiming that it is way too intense and that it can be dangerous, which I guess it can be, just like any other fitness activity: If you are out there doing stuff, you could potentially get hurt. For example, I played tennis for 15 years, even thru college. I got injured many times during this time….was it because tennis is a dangerous sport: NO! Was it because the chances of me pulling a muscle increased dramatically when I was running after a ball vs the chances of me doing it while watching TV on the couch: YES! Either way, if you are curious about CrossFit, here is a great blog post that talks more about it.

As far as Certus CrossFit specifically, this is why I’ve chosen it to be my fitness temple:

The programming: Certus’wokouts are designed by Marcus Filly (CrossFit Games Athlete, Division I Soccer Player, Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular Biology and Human Physiology and bad ass in general among many other awesome things!) who places emphasis on building strength with progressive methods and movements that allow members to progress in a more safe and appropriate manner. The workouts allow the coaches to dial it up for high intermediate-advances athletes or, to bring it down to an appropriate level for someone who is less conditioned or skilled, or has health or structural issues.

I became a Certus member right after recovering from 3 leg surgeries and at no point I felt like I was “harming” my body. On the contrary, I was able to adapt the workouts to my abilities at the time (I couldn’t even fire up my quads at that point) and I know for a fact that my recovery was wayyyyyy faster because of the type of exercises that the coaches had me doing.

Certus offers all kinds of cool classes too: The Regular Work out of the Day (WOD), Gymnastics, Olympic Weightlifting, Beginner’s Weightlifting and Endurance training.

The coaches: I have been coached by somebody in some sort of sport since I was 10 so I can tell right away when somebody knows (or doesn’t know) their stuff. The coaches at Certus are not only knowledgeable and experienced about CrossFit and have a million certifications; they also have an incredible understanding of human physiology and anatomy. They are all athletes themselves and are great motivators and teachers. Also, because of the class size, you get a lot of personalized attention. They are constantly checking your form and giving you tips on how to be more efficient (and not get hurt!), so in essence you are getting a semi-private personal training session.

The facilities: CrossFit facilities are usually located inside a warehouse looking building, very industrial with a third of the equipment of a traditional gym (if) …very minimal ….this is completely OK in my book. The cool thing about CrossFit is that you don’t need lot equipment or stuff to get an amazing workout: an open space on the floor and a pull up bar is all you need to do “Cindy” for example…however, given the choice, between ruggedness and state of the art, I would much rather workout in a nice, clean, beautiful looking facility. (I mentioned in a previous blog that I was kind of snobbish about my fitness equipment). When Michelle Kasten first started dreaming about opening her own CrossFit Gym, she envisioned a place that would stand above anything else in the Valley. She wanted Certus to be a place where people could not only enjoy a great workout with quality coaches, but could have the added amenities of brand new quality equipment, spotless and spacious facility AND SPA LOOKING BATHROOMSSSSSS!!!!!!!

The community: I not only go to Certus to get a good workouts, I go there to socialize and hang out with my friends. My Certus friends are not only my workout partners, they are my motivators, my support and cheer team AND my (friendly) competitors. We are all trying to get better there and we encourage each other to do so. If you are done with your workout, you don’t leave or start putting your equipment away, you cheer on the rest of the people who are not quite done. I LOVE THAT! On top of that, owner Michelle is always organizing potlucks and get togethers that give us a chance to meet outside the gym in “civilian” clothes :D

So who goes to Certus CrossFit: ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE WITH ALL KINDS OF FITNESS LEVELS!!!!

Here are some stats:

Male 59% Female 41%

The majority of the members ages range between 35 to 44 years old followed by 25 to 34.

Members come from all walks of life: Teachers, nurses, doctors, firemen, police officers, high school and college students, construction workers, stay at home moms and dads, retired individuals….just to name a few.

Certus coaches top performance athletes, people who are getting back in shape, people with mobility issues and anyone who wants to just get fitter and be part of the Certus community.

I’d encourage anyone to try out Certus CrossFit. You can come and try a class for free on Wednesday and Saturdays (they have special workouts for newbies). If CrossFit sounds intimidating, that just makes you normal. I was completely freaked out the first time I stepped in a box…3 years and some sexy guns later I AM SO GLAD I DID 😀

Francesca is a former NCAA Divison I tennis player who decided to become a fitness renaissance woman after college. In her free time she like to Crossfit, swim, run and bike, participate in Spartan races and do anything that requires her heart rate to spike way up.She lives in Fresno with her husband and two Boston Terriers, Babushka and Bambino who like to run after soccer balls just like their dad.

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What could be better than a site devoted to all the wonderful people, places and things we have in the Fresno area?
We welcome you and especially your opinions. What's your favorite Fresno hidden gem? Tell Us! and you may win a prize!
Don't miss a great tip, sign up for our email newsletter
If you are looking for that perfect home - we've got you covered as well!

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